Christine T. Tjandraningsih, Jakarta – An Indonesian committee passed a code of conduct Monday for the general election campaign, set from May 19 to June 4, that includes the ban of street rallies and the disqualification of parties from the June 7 election if they abuse the rules.
Under the code of conduct, political parties are not allowed to gather more campaign participants than a site can comfortably accommodate or to "hold rallies, both on foot or by vehicle, on the streets and roads that would disturb the socioeconomic daily activities of people."
The campaigns, it said, should be conducted in the form of indoor dialogue or monologue, either through a limited meeting or through radio and television broadcasts. The parties, however, are allowed to spread circulating letters, brochures, pamphlets, pictures, films or slides to public.
"Rallies will only be ineffective," Adi Andojo Soetjipto, who represents the government in the committee, said. "Rioting could even foil the poll."
Syamsahril, chairman of the Indonesian Muslim Awakening Party, which will contest the election along with other 47 parties, told Kyodo News each party must be held responsible for violations and clashes involving their supporters during the campaign, which is considered the most likely period for clashes and riots.
"If clashes happen, the concerned parties will be considered to have failed in curbing their supporters," he said.
"The National Police, which will be in charge of security during the campaign, is expected to be strict against any violations of campaign rules," Jacob Tobing, deputy chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party for Struggle, was quoted by the Jakarta Post daily as saying.
"We should learn from bad experiences from general elections in the past," Tobing added.
In the past few weeks, supporters of the Indonesian Democratic Party for Struggle, chaired by Megawati Sukarnoputri, the eldest daughter of the late President Sukarno, have been involved in a number of clashes with supporters of other parties.
The 1997 elections also barred campaigning at open sites, but problems arose during transportation of supporters to and from campaigning gatherings.
Sanctions will be imposed on campaign violations, according to the code of conduct, ranging from written warnings to disqualification as the maximum penalty against parties breaching campaign rules.
"The disqualification of the concerned party from contesting the general election will be imposed if a problem in the campaign has happened and leaders of the party's central executive board are identified as ignoring or defaming the rules in organizing the campaign," it said.
The code of conduct also bars campaigners and supporters from debating basic ideology and the 1945 Constitution, attacking individuals, religion, ethnicity, race or other parties, inciting violence, carrying guns, threatening violence, inciting supporters to commit subversion or damaging party banners and flags at permitted sites.
Party officials in Central Java have said hundreds of banners and flags have been damaged by supporters of other parties in the past several weeks.